1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable terminal, and more particularly to a portable terminal with a pair of housings pivotably coupled to each other through a hinge in such a manner that the housings can be opened or closed, wherein the front and rear sides of the housings can be rotated/reversed during the open state.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a portable terminal is classified into a bar-type, a flip type or a folder-type terminal.
A bar-type terminal has a single body housing which is provided with data input and output means, and transmission and reception units. Such a bar-type terminal is disadvantageous in that a keypad serving as the data input means is always exposed, which may cause a malfunction, and difficult to be miniaturized due to a problem of shortening a distance between the transmission and reception units.
A flip-type terminal has a body, a flip, and at least one hinge module for interconnecting the body and the flip. The flip covers a keypad serving as the data input means so that a malfunction can be prevented. However, such a flip-type terminal can also be hardly miniaturized due to a problem of shortening a distance between the reception and transmission units.
A folder-type terminal has a body, a folder, and at least one hinge module for rotatably interconnecting the body and the folder in such a manner that the terminal is opened or closed as the folder pivots. In a standby mode, since the folder is in close contact with the body, a possible malfunction of the keypad of the terminal can be prevented, whereas in a talk mode, since the folder is extended, a sufficient distance can be secured between the transmission and reception units of the terminal, which is advantageous in miniaturization. For these reasons, folder-type terminals have become most widely used among the above-mentioned various types of terminals.
As the users' tastes are diverse, the sliding-type terminals are more popularized than the folder-type terminals.
In mobile communication services, services provided through the portable terminals are being gradually diversified, especially in view of enhancement of multimedia functions. For example, it is now possible to download or enjoy games online using a portable terminal, and to download and reproduce digital multimedia broadcasting, moving pictures, or music files, etc. Furthermore, banking services, such as a credit card function using a subscriber identification module (SIM), are also being gradually commercially available.
However, since the external appearances of the conventional portable terminals have been developed to be suitable for performing communication functions, such as voice communication and message transmission, the portable terminals have a disadvantage in that they are inconvenient in multimedia applications and services or the like. For example, since display devices are longitudinally set in the conventional portable terminals, it is inconvenient to watch a digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB), a moving picture file or the like. Furthermore, a folder-type terminal has a disadvantage in that it is necessary to maintain the housings thereof in the extended state when watching a broadcasting or a moving picture file.